Pinamar

PINAMAR gets its name from the surrounding pinewoods planted among dunes by the town’s founder, Jorge Bunge, in the 1930s; this attractive setting is now rather spoiled by a mix of high-rise buildings and ostentatious chalet-style constructions. Pinamar stretches southwards along the coast, swallowing up the neighbouring resorts of Ostende and Valeria del Mar, tranquil places that can be easily reached as a day-trip, albeit with their own accommodation options. Long the favourite resort of the Porteño elite, in the 1990s the resort symbolized the high-living lifestyle of the Menem era, and the exploits of the politicians and celebrities who holidayed here were staples of the gossip mags. Pinamar fell out of popularity for a while following the high-profile murder of an investigative journalist here in 1997 and the post-2001 economic recession, but has bounced back with a vengeance. It remains a hugely popular summer holiday spot and, although it has lost its exclusive crown to places like Cariló, it is more expensive than many other Argentine seaside resorts.